Our first winner of 2011 is the Bichon Frise, CH PaRay’s Power And Privilege, BIS at today’s Sand to Sea Non-Sporting Association show, one of the limited breed warm-ups to this weekend’s Palm Springs Kennel Club show in Indio CA. It was Dominick’s first outing as a special. Congratulations to breeders Paul Flores, Tray Pittman, & Gayle Sarner, and owners Dr Martin Winston MD and Lauara Rosio.

GCH CH Hampton Court's Ashley(Photo by Infocusbymiguel)

Also scoring today was the Cairn Terrier, GCH CH Hampton Court's Ashley, who walked away with the top prize at today’s Desert Empire Terrier Club of Southern California, also in Indio. Ashley finished 2010 with one all breed BIS and four Terrier Group Firsts. Congratulations breeder/owner Victor Malzoni Jr and handler Gabriel Rangel.

We’ve taken down the Christmas decorations and put the visiting family on flights back to their homes and we are now ready to get back to our world, the world of AKC conformation shows. However, like an athlete that has just completed a marathon, we shall take it easy at first.

This coming week we have just 15 all breed shows in six locations. However we start the year with what could be the biggest single show we will see all year, the Saturday Palm Springs Kennel Club show in Indio CA. With nearly 3400 dogs entered in the regular classes, a dog getting a Group Four there could collect more points than some of the BIS winners elsewhere in the US this weekend. In addition to the two giant all breed shows, there are seven limited breed shows on Thursday and Friday.

Many in the dog world spend much of January in Florida where there are more dog shows than BINGO tournaments this month, with 13 shows from the 7th through the 22nd. It all starts this week with four shows in Ormond Beach, just north of Daytona Beach, on Friday with two hosted by the Greater Daytona Dog Fanciers Association followed by two courtesy of the Jacksonville Dog Fanciers' Association.

Rounding out the week are three shows in Tallmadge OH with the Columbiana County Kennel Club & the Rubber City Kennel Club, two in Pendleton SC with the Clemson Kennel Club, two in St Paul MN with the Land O' Lakes Kennel club, and two in Glen Rose TX, 80 miles SW of Dallas, with the Nolan River Kennel Club. So make this your New Year’s resolution, attend more AKC dog shows this year!

We always like to ring in the New Year with a bang and we couldn’t have asked for a more thrilling end to the year that the down to the wire rankings race. For most of the year the Smooth Fox Terrier, GCH CH J’Cobe Kemosabe Vigilante Justice, led the field, though he was constantly challenged by the Number Two Dog, the Pekingese, GCH CH PalaceGarden Malachy, and the Number Three Dog, the Irish Setter, GCH CH Shadagee Caught Red Handed. By November, the Smooth & Peke had pulled ahead of the field.

Weekend after weekend the Peke, Malachy, would come within one win of overtaking the Smooth, Dodger, only to have Dodger answer with another BIS. However, on November 20th Malachy would grab the top prize at the big Lima Kennel Club show in Columbus OH and take the Number One ranking. It was beginning to look like the determined little Peke would remain there for the duration of the year. However, there is nothing like Terrier Tenacity and Dodger and owner/handler Amy Booth would doggedly pursue Malachy until they finally regained the top spot on December 18th with a huge win at the Richland County Kennel Club show in Cleveland OH. He would double down the next day taking the BIS at the Western Reserve Kennel Club show. It all came down to the last week of the year and the Final Four shows in San Mateo CA. Malachy fired the opening salvo on the 28th with a BIS at the Oakland Kennel Club show. However the Peke’s valiant final rally would fail and Dodger would finish at the head of the line for 2010.

Dodger first caught our eye in January of 2009 when he went three for four in Florida against the 2009 Crufts winner, the Sealyham Terrier, CH Efbe’s Hidalgo At Goodspice. We immediately made him a DOG2WATCH. He has since gone on to become the winningest Smooth Fox Terrier in history, winning 105 all breed BIS including 74 this year alone. Dodger was bred by William Dalling & Stacy Turner, is owned by Sandra & Howard Hoffen & Phil & Amy Booth. Our congratulations to them all on a splendid campaign and career. We also offer out sincere thanks to Team Dodger for providing us with one of the most exciting years in recent history.